May 17, 2008

There is a historical marker right there telling you about the establishment of the apple orchards in this valley alongside the Kickapoo River. The landscape is so dramatic because it's driftless — the glaciers didn't make it this far. I drove all the way out here today because the cabbie who picked me up at the airport on Thursday told me that the apple trees will be in bloom along Route 171, and it's a great drive. (We'd been talking about flowering trees in Madison.) Go out past Gotham and Boaz to Gays Mills. He was right about the trees and the drive. There were great curvy roads for my Audi TT Coupe to get some exercise after all these long months sitting in my driveway when I was living in New York. There were almost no other cars out on Route 171 — mostly motorcycles. You could tell that everyone driving there was driving to drive. Propitiously, the radio played "Radar Love."

And here are the mills:

I was out traipsing about on the bank of the Kickapoo, trying to get a good shot of the water rolling over the dam. Took a picture of this sign that I didn't bother to read.

Because these things can't apply to me. I'm lucky. A cabdriver tells me about where to find flowers. And — also last Thursday — as I hoisted my two big bags off the luggage carousel at the airport, I was talking to a nun and, when I turned to leave, she said, "God bless you." I was reentering Wisconsin, and everything seemed propitious.

Titus, the first link is to a map. Click and you'll see there's a road there called "Old Gays Road," which I thought was amusing. The town is west of Madison, almost all the way to the Mississippi. If you don't go in May when the trees are in bloom, you might want to go in September -- apple season. The second link shows some of the attractions (which aren't much!). There are some historic log cabins:

http://www.gaysmills.org/logcabin.html

Unfortunately for me, I didn't figure that out in advance and didn't see them.

It's a long, long drive. If you're not really into the drive per se or heading west on some longer trip, I wouldn't recommend it.

Do you think Johnny Appleseed had anything to do with all those apple trees? Would he be buggered for introducing non-native invasive species were he to go about tossing seeds today? He concerns me because I toss chile seeds into other people's gardens mischievously and without permission then on return walks check to see if any of them take.

I forgot to mention: I didn't see if you decided where to vacation this year. If you decide to do the 5 National Parks of Utah, be sure to time your travel (and call ahead for tickets) to take in a show at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah.

It has been going now for 39 years and won the 2000 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

Be very careful when driving in the driftless area, there are a lot of Amish in that part of the state. Also, did you notice any tobacco barns? Hard to believe, but that part of the state used to raise tobacco for cigars. There is an old tobacco warehouse on the shore of the Mississippi river in Genoa, and another big tobacco building in Viroqua. My favorite part of the state.

Sorry, I don't think 'Radar Love' on the radio can count as propitious. That's a song about somebody who isn't driving just to drive; he's driving because there is somewhere that he definitely has to be.

Great place to go in autumn, too, for the apples and the color. We try make a trip up that direction every year.

East on 171 a bit from Gays Mills is nice little cheese factory in Mt Sterling. IIRC there is a tobacco barn still stand just outside of Gays Mills. After you stop at Mt Sterling keep heading east until you hit The River.

Many little shops tucked in out of the way places. A nice winery near Highland, popcorn in Montfort. You can eat your way across the state.

The area reminds me a lot of my hometown in N Iowa. Most everyone is simply living and working.

Titus - In Michgian's Upper Peninsula, way up near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula north of Houghton is a very small community called Gay. Michigan. The population is probably less than 200.

Gay is a popular destination for motorcyclists and ATV riders because the area is stunningly gorgeous, and also because the local watering hole is called Gay Bar.

A warm summer's day will have several hundred motorcycles parked in the parking lot, a lineup of bikers having their photos taken standing in front of the large sign that reads "Gay Bar", having lunch and buying tee shirts that say Gay Bar, Gay MI.

This link should take you to the Gay Bar's web page: http://www.thegaybar.com/

Here's a thumbnail history of Gay, MI. Insert your own jokes as necessary. The main characters are named - Gay and Koch.

"The town was named for Joseph E. Gay, a director of the Mohawk and Wolverine Mining Companies. He explored the area that was eventually used for mining and milling. In 1896, a lumberman named Ernest Koch found some native copper where the Mohawk Mine was eventually built. Exploration by Joseph E. Gay proved the find to be valuable. In 1898, the Mohawk Mining Company was formed. Gay became president of both the Mohawk and Wolverine Mining Companies in 1906.

"Owners of the Gay Bar included Dorothy Lodge and Norman and Mathida "Tillie" Dicks. Norm and Tillie Dicks bought the bar in 1973 to showcase Norm's extensive gun collection. There were over 240 guns on display including some from the 1870s. In 1983, the bar was purchased by Chuck and Jan Gustafson. They added food including their famous cheeseburger"

I went to High School in Gays Mills in the Seventies. It's underwater again due to flooding, (from the tail end of the same storms hitting Iowa).It was hit last year August with 12" of rain and flooded then too. Beautiful country in that area when the water's down.